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He accidentally cursed himself...

When the consequences get him exiled to the land he helped terrorize, can this evil wizard find redemption... and love?

Orpheus can't believe it's come to this. After helping his childhood friend conquer the realm by raising an army of hell-beasts, the befuddled dark sorcerer finds himself banished when the price of his magic endangers the palace. Isolated and betrayed, the feared spellcaster isn't exactly thrilled when his irritating and handsome rival keeps stepping between him and certain doom.

Ill at ease in the barren wasteland his powers created, Orpheus slowly warms to the charismatic ex-general's relentless overtures. But as his feelings grow more intense, the former villain struggles with an inconvenient calling towards heroism.

Will dabbling in good deeds get him killed or open the doors to happily ever after?

The Crack at the Heart of Everything is the charmingly swoon-worthy first book in an epic LGBTQ+ fantasy series. If you like character-driven stories, snarky humor, and well-earned redemption arcs, then you'll adore Fiona Fenn's unexpected hero's journey.

"Fenn conjures an intricate and enthralling magical world for readers to sink their teeth into." - Publishers Weekly

"A charming fantasy novel in which two men strive to fix the brokenness around them." - Foreword Review

"The Crack at the Heart of Everything" by Fiona Fenn is an enchanting debut that masterfully weaves dark magic, redemption, and a tender slow-burn romance into a captivating LGBTQ+ fantasy. Perfect for fans of character-driven tales, snarky banter, and epic redemption arcs, this novel is an adventure brimming with cozy vibes, emotional depth, and a romance that will sweep you off your feet." - Aiden Thomas, NYT Bestselling author of The Sunbearer Trials

"An emotional, witty fantasy which surprises and delights, Fenn's debut weaves together a powerful story about finding one's place in the world, being open to love, and defying fate to live the story one wants to tell." - Laura R. Samotin, author of The Sins On Their Bones

Deep in the Empyrean forest… Nothing stays hidden.

We are The Principality, and our community is special. Some of us joined, some were born into it. But regardless of how we got here, we all serve him.

Our Head Priest is a wise and fearless leader. All-knowing, the secrets of our land are spoken to him through the air. We follow him willingly, worshipping the Earth as intended. While his brother lurks in the shadows...

But who is this King I can’t stop watching, so captivating and beautiful? And who is the man with the snake eyes?

I must know more about them both…

I must peek beneath the cover.

Unearthing the truth brings me between a King and a Serpent, and the lust we share isn’t the only unexpected gift. What is a young servant to do but follow his path?

I will seek answers in the woods of the mountain...

Where existence is not what it seems.

College student Quinn is surprised with a holiday getaway to a secluded cabin in the snowy mountains. When she gets stuck in a blizzard with her three masked men, she finds herself in the middle of a new seductive game. This time? It ends with just one word. As secrets are revealed and past traumas are brought to the surface, will they make it through the weekend?

Will her demons overtake her?

Or will her masked men save her?

One man wants to possess her.
The other is literally possessed.
Welcome to Sleepy Hollow. May you never leave.

From a New York Times bestselling author comes a dark academia gothic romance retelling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, where Katrina Van Tassel doesn't have to choose between Brom Bones and Ichabod Crane, and there are worse things haunting them than the Headless Horseman.

Kat Van Tassel's life was predestined from childhood; she was to marry her best friend, Brom Bones. However, Brom mysteriously vanished from Sleepy Hollow as a teenager. Now, at nineteen, Kat enrolls in Sleepy Hollow Institute, a shadowy school run by her powerful family. There, she becomes entangled with her enigmatic, older teacher, Ichabod Crane, who delves into dark magic.

When Brom returns, suffering from amnesia and a dark transformation, they must confront gruesome murders attributed to a vengeful spirit, The Headless Horseman, while navigating their tangled relationships.

As Kat, Ichabod, and Brom seek answers, their bonds deepen, and forbidden desires take hold. But Sleepy Hollow holds secrets more sinister than they imagined. The Headless Horseman lurks, threatening to claim them, while something even more terrifying looms in the shadows. Embark on a journey of dark mysteries, desire, and danger in the eerie heart of Sleepy Hollow.

He thought ghosting was just a dating term…

Daring lawyer Gabriel Vane has his dream job, a luxury high-rise apartment, a glamorous lover, and a massive scandal on his hands, possibly connected to said lover. To save his career, he needs to vanish—and what better place to hide than a dilapidated Victorian house in a sleepy town? He expects nosy neighbors and bad plumbing, but not a peppy ghost with anxiety issues.

Eternal incorporeal life has its perks, but after decades of binging sitcoms and lifestyle magazines, Ida Huxley wants proper, human company. Too bad her newest tenant—and the first person able to see her in over a century—is a work-obsessed, cynical snob.

In exchange for some peace and quiet, Gabriel agrees to fulfill the terms of a mysterious contract that will allow Ida to pass on and not end up a vengeful spirit. When sparks (and haunted objects) begin to fly, they have to either risk their carefully planned futures, figure out how to get sensual in two different planes of existence—or somehow bring Ida back to life.

Hey,
Over here.
No, look up.
Yeah, I’m the one they talk about. The headmaster’s prized possession, locked away in the bell tower of NotreDame Parochial College. To most of the students I was just a myth.
An urban legend.
The girl who rings the bells up in the tower, the one who talks to gargoyles.

Frollo’s secret

Then they showed up, those heartless heathens. Outcasts, just like me. But these men aren’t just dangerous, they’re heartless. They won’t abide or bend to the rules of this deranged school and the secrets it keeps from the world.

But now that they’ve found me, they may never let me go.
And maybe I wouldn’t want them to…

I killed mindlessly for 15 years.

A curse trapped me inside my werewolf, and I became the perfect killing puppet for the warlock controlling me.
Screams of my victims haunt me.
The phantom warmth of blood heats my hands.
And guilt eats away at my psyche.
I don’t deserve love.
I don’t deserve a mate.
Who could ever love a monster like me?
Ru does.
My little lucky charm from another planet.
No matter how much I warn her.
No matter how I try to scare her.
No matter how many times I threaten her.
She stays.
But she doesn’t understand my kind.
Werewolves are violent creatures.
And if my wolf doesn’t get his way, it isn’t just her heart I’ll be ripping out, but mine too.
Which, in 14 days, is exactly what will happen.
A night of violence and lust awaits, and I’m doubtful she can survive me.
Our lives are on the line, but so is my brother’s.
14 days to find the treatment for his sickness.
14 days to survive on an unknown planet.
14 days to see if I kill my mate.

The full moon is rising.
And I wish it wouldn’t.

In the dimension where fire meets ice, my mate waits for me.
And if I don’t go to him, I’ll die.

I know I’m lucky to have a mate at all.
Most would rejoice. Most would run to them.
Not me.
I want to stay with my family.
I was trapped in the veil for the majority of my life, fighting to survive.
And I’m supposed to leave them for a man I don’t know?
I’m tired of Fate making the decisions for me.
Yet…
The ache in my chest becomes too much.
The thirst in my throat becomes unbearable.
The need to mate is a call I can no longer ignore.
Even if I’ve never touched or kissed another.
How will I satisfy him?
Finally, I go to my prince only to learn that I have not one, but two mates.
A dragon and an elf.
Not only do they rule separate kingdoms—they are mortal enemies.
Hatred is rooted deep in my dragon’s fire and my elf guards a secret close to his heart that he refuses to tell.
Forgiveness is the only solution.
And the journey to getting it might be what kills us all.

For two days a year, a carousel sings.

Humans come, but they do not leave.

Gremlins, ghouls, and sincasters need to feed.

If paranormals come, they will never be free.

They have to put on a show and give the audience the creeps.

A demon is a ringmaster, selling souls for the right price.

A fortune teller sees his demise.

A vampire is used to cry.

An angel loses his wings.

A banshee calls for help and screams.

They will no longer exist after Halloween.

It’s why they need a Wildes witch.

The most powerful one they will ever see.

121 years without hope has a soul become silent.

Salem, Massachusetts.

The home of magic. The hell of the damned.

The place where I rest until the end of time.

There is only one way for me to wake from my coma.

My beloved must find me and feed me her blood before I turn to ash.

It’s a rarity for a vampire to meet his blood mate.

I knew when the coma took me, I’d die.

In the dark.

Alone.

Until Maven Wildes buys my estate.

Her presence at the house wakes my spirit.

But not my mind.

I want her out of my home more than I want to breathe fresh air.

Unfortunately, the infuriating beautiful woman refuses to leave.

Yet… meeting me revives a lost magic in her veins.

And now breathing her in is all I want.

Our love creates power a warlock craves.

He’ll spill blood to have Maven, but I’ll drink his until his heart stops.

I will always protect my beloved with my entire being.

Even if it means spending my days in eternal night.

I detest Fate.

All vampires crave more than the rich taste of blood is their beloved, but I’m betrayed. I’m left hopeful and hopeless. Against all attempts, my heart has been poisoned against me.
My belief is gone.
A lie has been weaved for far too long and I fell into the web like so many others before me.

I must ease the ache of time. No longer will I yearn for a fairytale. This torture comes to a stop. To find love, I follow tradition instead. A matching ceremony.

And she changes all I know.

She stops the ache. Time is frozen.

My ability to breathe is robbed and held in her clutches. My blood sings for her.

How is she not my beloved?

No other will have my heart, but magic finds a way to obliterate it. A war steals everything from me. I’m left holding my newborn daughter as we fall into darkness.
I will never be made a fool again. In life. In death. I write my own fate.

My love, my faith, my choices…

Eternally, are Hers.

Once upon a time, a vampire fell in love with a hunter…

The trials for the heir of the city have begun, and the stakes have never been higher.

Red, a hunter, is struggling with her growing hunger for blood and the truth of her identity.

Octavia Beaumont, one of the original three vampires, is determined to win the trials and take control of the city.

But as Red and Octavia navigate deadly challenges and political machinations, they must also confront the lies and betrayals that have shaped their past.

Memories have been stolen.

Secrets have been kept.

And the line between love and hate has never been more blurred.

As the trials progress, Red and Octavia's bond grows stronger, but so does the target on their backs. Enemies lurk in every shadow, and even allies can no longer be trusted.

To survive the trials and uncover the truth...

They must decide how much they're willing to sacrifice.

Confront the monsters they've become.

And embrace a destiny that could destroy everything they hold dear.

But in a world where blood is power and love is a weakness, can Red and Octavia emerge victorious? Or will their secrets be their undoing?

There’s something off with my new stepbrother…something monstrous.

When my mom up and marries a man she doesn’t know, she uproots us from our home in upstate New York to live in the tiny, backwoods town of Bishop, buried deep in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

There’s something terribly wrong with this place.

But it’s not the creepy townsfolk that frighten me, or even my new stepdad—who definitely runs some kind of cult.

The real monster is Titus Leeds…my new stepbrother.

There’s a part of him that wants me to leave this place, to protect me. But there’s a darker side of him that wants me to stay.

A creature lurks in the forest, and it hungers for my soul. Maybe the only way to keep my soul safe is to let Titus Leeds claim it first.

“Make no fucking mistake, little lamb. I’m not saving you. Either the Elder One eats you…or I do.”

With Titus’s father dead, we were supposed to leave the Pine Barrens and never look back. But with a cult hunting us through the woods and an ancient evil slowly rising from its slumber…

We’re damned.

Cult rituals, creepy forest spirits and late-night chases through the graveyard are nothing when I have the most dangerous monster in the woods for a stepbrother.

Either way, Titus and I are bound for Hell, so we might as well have some fun on the fall down…

Where's the line between love and hate?

Bellamy
I don't know how we ended up as rivals, but I couldn't have asked for a better nemesis than Noel. It's fun throwing insults and watching him lose his shit in public. He's cute when he's angry.

The world thinks he's a grumpy bad boy, but I'm not sold. The more I get to know him, the more I'm convinced there's a squishy marshmallow center underneath his hard shell.

Noel
Golden boy Bellamy drives me up the freaking wall. All I want to do is wipe that smug, arrogant grin off his face--not necessarily with my hand.

I hate him, but the truth is I can't keep my hands off him. Our rivalry has always been explosive, and it turns out, so are we.

Bellamy is an enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract MM romance between two camboys, each vying for the top spot. Expect secret hotel rendezvous, hate f*cking, and oiled-up wrestling. It is the second book in The Camboy Network series and can be read as a stand-alone.

Sometimes, the answer is the easiest part.

Pip Standish enjoys his life in Tutting-on-Cress, surrounded by found family and working in his friend Gerry's spellshop. But there's one niggling problem at the corner of his mind: how to propose to the charming Viscount Bertie Finlington?

When Gerry gets married and moves out, Pip is faced with how quickly things are changing in his circle of friends. With the spellshop temporarily closed for the honeymoon, now is the perfect time to take his prospects into his own hands.

But as he and Bertie spend time together on a magical project, Pip finds himself puzzling through his past to decide what he wants for his future. And braving change may turn out to be even harder than asking for Bertie's hand.

The Viscount Says Yes is the HEA epilogue to Pip and Bertie's love story, which began in The Education of Pip.

When your wildest fantasies come to life.

Sebastian
I used to have a poster of Chris Preacher taped to my wall. And a not-safe-for-parents version hidden under the bed. But that was ten years ago, before he retired and vanished from the public eye.

Now he's standing in the middle of my new gym, the legend who inspired me to become a camboy. I have to ask him or I'll regret it forever.

Will he film one last video with me?

Christian
I have zero complaints about my life as a run-of-the-mill personal trainer, and I have no interest in dipping my toe back into the adult entertainment business. But there's something about Sebastian's proposal that grabs me and won't let go.

Or maybe it's Sebastian himself. Sweet and sultry, nervous yet determined, Sebastian's not like anyone I've ever met—in the industry or otherwise.

I agree to just one video. But once the camera starts rolling, I don't want it to stop.

Sebastian is an age gap, nerd/jock, feel-good MM romance between an industry veteran dipping his toe back into the game and an anxiety-ridden workaholic. Expect camera-melting sex, candle-lit dinners, gentle hand caresses, and endless staring into each other’s eyes. Sebastian is the first book in The Camboy Network series and can be read as a standalone.

My life went from great to disaster in under five minutes.

Connor
It was just another Friday night, bringing home takeout for a cozy evening in with my boyfriend. Only to find him wearing nothing but a towel and my best friend frantically trying to put his clothes back on. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on.

Now I'm homeless and friendless and stumbling mindlessly through the doors of Mars Fitness, straight into Donnie's strong, comforting arms. He offers me a place to crash, then shows me how much more life can be when I have him by my side.

Donnie
What was I supposed to do? Let the guy sleep on the street when I had a perfectly good guest room at home?

Letting Connor stay with me was supposed to be a temporary thing, but I never expected to feel so much around him. Attraction, joy, protectiveness—emotions I haven't felt in ages are suddenly breaking through my grief and overwhelming me.

It's been four years since my husband passed, and I've been caught in a limbo of merely existing ever since. But with Connor in my house and awakening all these feelings in me, maybe it's time I start living again.

Ripped is an age gap, nerd/jock, hurt/comfort MM romance between roommates who cuddle while watching classic movies. Expect low angst steamy shower rooms, teary confessions, disapproving family, and brand-new beginnings. It is the first book in the Mars Fitness series and can be read as a stand-alone.

TROY

Sometimes I want to punch that smirk off Atlas McCallister's pretty face.

He's cocky. A troublemaker. A pain.

And, unfortunately, my stepbrother.

We've been fire and kerosene since our parents got together, and to keep from exploding into fistfights, we've used challenges, dares, and bets to battle out our differences.

Our past bets have been a little inappropriate—scandalous, even—but Atlas's latest bet has gone too far.

Do I really believe if he loses, my straight stepbrother is gonna mess around with a guy? And not just any guy: me, his rival and nemesis?

Not a chance.

But if he's so confident he's gonna win...well, my big stepbro must not know me as well as he thinks...

ATLAS

I love getting under Troy's skin.

Mr. Former Prom King. Mr. Heartthrob. Mr. Infuriatingly Perfect. Messing with him is too easy. Too fun. Maybe that's why I'm a little obsessed with him.

Our latest bet is the perfect way for me to test the bisexual waters, and once I dive headfirst into the deep end, I don't want to stop.

With Troy. My stepbro.

It was supposed to be just a little fun, yet with each touch, I like him more than I should. It wasn't supposed to go this far. Now I want Troy to be all mine.

But what we're doing has bigger consequences than our little step bet, and when the stakes are this high, is it worth gambling our hearts when we know this is a game we both could lose?

This is the first book in the Peach State Stepbros Series. It can be read as a standalone.

Trigger Warning: The Step Bet is a steamy romance, but one of the secondary characters struggles with addiction. This may act as a trigger for some readers.

One immature dare.

Two childhood enemies.

Three kisses to bring him to his knees ...

Clarissa Wilson hates Adam James - his dentist-white smile, his ridiculous body built of muscles-upon-muscles, and that movie-star swagger that carries him into every room. So, back in their hometown of Moonshine — sixteen years later — with a revenge body and a new name, it’s a guilty thrill when Adam wants her … and has no idea she’s the chubby girl he teased throughout school.

As ‘Lissy,’ she’s determined to live by her own rules and hide her old scars — meaning she needs a plan to deal with Adam, their past, and the present. Luckily, his cheeky dare offers Lissy the perfect opportunity for payback: she has three kisses, and three chances to seduce the man who ruined her life … then leave him in the dust.

But Adam is playing with her heartstrings and rewriting their history, revealing things aren’t what they seem. Now, Lissy must decide who she really is and what her heart desires, because three kisses can’t undo a lifetime of hate … right?


The Insufferable Adam James is a dual POV childhood enemies-to-lovers rom-com with a drool worthy MMC and a sassy FMC who isn’t afraid to speak her mind. It is part of the Moonshine Romance series of interconnected standalones, which can be read in any order.

Being abducted by aliens whose sole intention is to use me for breeding is not how I saw this year panning out.

Add to that a different species of alien helping me escape, it couldn’t get any stranger.

I had to put all my trust in Sahcor, the alien who helped me flee. The only problem is, as we spend more time together, our mutual attraction can’t be ignored. My alien savior, who seems intent on pleasing me in every way, is a distraction I am losing my will to fight.

When I finally give in to my desires, I forget everything else outside of his wandering webbed hands.

But my original captors are still hunting me and are desperate for my recapture.
I keep my distance from the other women who were abducted alongside me, fearing being near them puts them in certain danger.

I’d rather face this world alone than threaten their safety.
But am I also risking my alien savior’s safety when I may not even be able to save myself?

If this planet is to be my new home, I want to make a life with Sahcor.
But will we forever be on the run from an enemy that will never stop searching for me?

Stuck on an alien planet with no means of escape. I can’t say I’ve been in worse situations.

It’s my nature to try to look on the bright side and remain positive in the face of adversity. Even when everything seems to be going completely crazy.

My resolve is tested when I’m taken by an alien who looks like a demon. He’s primal and aggressive – but when my life is in danger, he surges to my rescue.

I get small glimpses that there’s something more to him, convincing me he’s simply a wounded animal unsure how to respond to kindness. He’s keeping things from me, not only why I’m on this planet, but also about himself.

Is he a victim too?

With all of this to consider, why is it that when I try to think of ways to thank him for helping me, my mind only goes in one direction? I’m inexperienced and feel it’s wrong to have these indecent thoughts.

As desire heaves through me, I wonder, does he want to give into it like I do?

No one with half a brain would rob the jungle’s most notorious energy cartel.

 The vibrations of their power-producing stones are the only thing that calms the mer-snake Cacao’s agonizing sensory condition though—and after being banished from his homeland swamps for similar thefts, he’s desperate.

When his attempt fails stunningly, a chaotic escape leaves him chained to a cartel prisoner: a self-proclaimed hero with a hidden stash of power stones so large, Cacao would never need to steal again. He’s determined to get his hands on it, even if it means guiding her home straight through the mist-laden and monster-filled swamp that exiled him, with scheming poachers and a desperate cartel leader on their tail.

But the selfish and the self-righteous can only flee together for so long before something snaps...

No one with half a brain would rob the jungle’s most notorious energy cartel.

 The vibrations of their power-producing stones are the only thing that calms the mer-snake Cacao’s agonizing sensory condition though—and after being banished from his homeland swamps for similar thefts, he’s desperate.

When his attempt fails stunningly, a chaotic escape leaves him chained to a cartel prisoner: a self-proclaimed hero with a hidden stash of power stones so large, Cacao would never need to steal again. He’s determined to get his hands on it, even if it means guiding her home straight through the mist-laden and monster-filled swamp that exiled him, with scheming poachers and a desperate cartel leader on their tail.

But the selfish and the self-righteous can only flee together for so long before something snaps...

Rubem has become the voice of the auroras—or their rage, at least.

Between his threats and Tavish’s diplomacy, they’ve convinced most of the world that the auroras can be saved through the return of their ignits. But pockets of denial and refusal linger, including in the Findlay’s old trading partner, a city who has completely ignored Tavish’s attempts at contact. With a cat on their back and apprehension in their step, Rubem and Tavish set out to confront them directly.

They arrive to a metropolis of watery channels and balconies on the verge of collapse, the once glorious city now overwhelmed the sea monsters that snap at their front doors. Only their dying aurora’s song keeps the dangerous creatures at bay, but with apocalyptic prophecies running wild and the government split into stubborn factions, Rubem quickly realizes that someone wants the city destroyed. Whoever they are, they’re willing to destroy its aurora protector to do it. And Rubem is the only person standing in their way.

But amidst the chaos, the Findlay’s past involvement with the city comes to light in ways Rubem never expected—and Tavish wants nothing to do with—adding grudges, broken hearts, and freckle-faced pre-teens on Rubem’s list of problems. As those intent on destroying the city and its aurora grow more threatening, Rubem seems always one step behind and never quite strong enough.

And he’s growing weaker by the day…

Rubem has become the voice of the auroras—or their rage, at least.

Between his threats and Tavish’s diplomacy, they’ve convinced most of the world that the auroras can be saved through the return of their ignits. But pockets of denial and refusal linger, including in the Findlay’s old trading partner, a city who has completely ignored Tavish’s attempts at contact. With a cat on their back and apprehension in their step, Rubem and Tavish set out to confront them directly.

They arrive to a metropolis of watery channels and balconies on the verge of collapse, the once glorious city now overwhelmed the sea monsters that snap at their front doors. Only their dying aurora’s song keeps the dangerous creatures at bay, but with apocalyptic prophecies running wild and the government split into stubborn factions, Rubem quickly realizes that someone wants the city destroyed. Whoever they are, they’re willing to destroy its aurora protector to do it. And Rubem is the only person standing in their way.

But amidst the chaos, the Findlay’s past involvement with the city comes to light in ways Rubem never expected—and Tavish wants nothing to do with—adding grudges, broken hearts, and freckle-faced pre-teens on Rubem’s list of problems. As those intent on destroying the city and its aurora grow more threatening, Rubem seems always one step behind and never quite strong enough.

And he’s growing weaker by the day…

Rubem of No-Man’s Land was content keeping to his wine, his pets, and his extensive collection of fishnets.

But since a sentient, fuel-producing parasite bonded to his brainstem, every morally-depraved scientist and hardcore rebel for a hundred miles wants to ruthlessly dissect him. The parasite itself is no better, influencing his emotions and sassing him with his own memories as it slowly takes over his body.

The only person offering Rubem help is Tavish K. Findlay, a dashing and manipulative philanthropist whose mother’s fuel company monopolizes their corrupt underwater city with an iron claw. She desperately wants to tear Rubem apart for the parasite before those who oppose her can do the same. Her son is irresistibly charismatic though, and after a lifetime of being kicked out and disavowed, Rubem is desperate to believe in the friendship Tavish offers.

With revolutionary plots and political schemes tangling his every choice, Rubem must soon decide whether or not to trust Tavish in his fight against the parasite’s growing control.

The ocean is uncontrollable and dangerous. 

printBut to the sirens who swim the warm island waters, it’s a home more than worth protecting from the humans and their steam-propelled ships. Between their hypnotic voices and the strength of their powerful tails, sirens have little to fear.

That is, until the ruthless pirate captain, Kian, creates a device to cancel out their songs.

Perle was the first siren captured, and while all since have either been sold or killed, Kian still keeps them prisoner. Though their song is muted and their tail paralyzed, Perle’s hope for escape rekindles as another pirating vessel seizes Kian’s ship. This new captain seems different, with his brilliant smile and his promises that Kian will never again be Perle’s master. But he’s still a human, and a captor in his own way. The compassion he and his rag-tag human family show can’t be sincere… or can it?

Book 1 in These Treacherous Tides Series.

Soon it becomes clear that Kian will hunt Perle relentlessly, taking down any siren in her path. As the tides turn, Perle must decide whether to run from Kian forever, or ride the forming wave into battle, hoping their newfound human companions will fight with them.